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Voykit pocket guide · Fiji
Nadi
Nadi is a launch pad, not a destination: sleep near the airport or Port Denarau, do the temple and market in the morning before the heat, and treat every island boat as the fixed point the rest of the day bends around.
Nadi is the town, the airport and the boat harbour that almost every Fiji trip passes through. The trips that go wrong are the ones that squeeze a Nadi day between a late landing and an early boat, or that leave no buffer before an international flight after an island stay. Four short clusters cover the town, the hotel strip, a local beach and Port Denarau; the outer islands are separate trips by catamaran or water taxi.
- Country
- Fiji
- Best months
- Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
- Time zone
- Pacific/Fiji
- Stay
- 1 days: Nadi town, temple and market, then a night near the airport or Denarau
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- FJD
- Money
- Cards at hotels, resorts and larger shops; cash for markets, buses, taxis and temples. Get cash in Nadi before heading to the islands.
- Daily spend
- Budget FJ$60–110 excl. bed · Mid FJ$110–220 excl. bed · High FJ$220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Install an eSIM before you fly, or buy a SIM at the airport or a shop in town (passport needed).
- Emergency
- Police 917 · General emergency 911 · Hotel front desk Confirm at check-in
- Plugs
- 240 V; type I sockets (three flat pins). Bring an adapter.
- Tipping
- Not expected; some resorts collect for a staff fund.
- Water
- Ask your hotel whether tap water is safe; bottled water is widely sold.
- Toilets
- Hotels, malls and cafes; carry tissues.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee (flat white at a café) | FJ$5–8 |
| Curry or roti meal | FJ$8–18 |
| Beer (Fiji Bitter) at a bar | FJ$6–10 |
| Taxi across Nadi | FJ$8–20 |
| Airport to Martintar, taxi | FJ$15–30 |
| Local bus ride | FJ$1–3 |
| Local SIM, a week | FJ$15–40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Nadi International Airport (NAN)
- NAN to Martintar or Denarau: a licensed taxi or hotel transfer, 15–35 minutes by road; the risk is not the ride but a boat that leaves the next morning before you have slept.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Nadi International Airport (NAN) (Nadi Airport) | International flights (Fiji Airways) and domestic Fiji Link flights | Taxi 10–15 min to Martintar; 20–25 min to Port Denarau |
| Nadi bus station (Nadi Bus Station) | Local and express buses along the Queens Road (Suva, Sigatoka, Lautoka) | Walk to Main Street |
| Port Denarau (Port Denarau Marina) | Catamarans and water taxis to the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands | Taxi 15–20 min |
Typical fares
- Airport to Martintar, taxi
- FJ$15–30, 10–15 min
- Airport to Port Denarau, taxi
- FJ$30–45, 20–25 min
- Nadi town to Port Denarau, taxi
- FJ$20–30, 15–20 min
Show 8 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Eat, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk inside a cluster, taxi between them. Buses are cheap but slow; taxis have meters or agreed fares. The Bula Bus loops around Denarau and Nadi town on a hop-on ticket (check).
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Inside Nadi town, Port Denarau, Martintar |
| Taxi | FJ$8–20 in town | Between clusters, after dark |
| Local bus | FJ$1–3 | Queens Road, Nadi to Lautoka |
| Hotel or boat-company transfer | FJ$10–30 | Airport and Port Denarau |
| Rented car | FJ$90–150 a day (check) | Sigatoka, Sabeto and the Garden |
| Bula Bus (hop-on, hop-off) | About FJ$10–20 a day (check) | Denarau and Nadi town |
Fares are estimates; check before you ride.
- Passes
- No pass. Local buses are cheap but slow; taxis are the safe default with bags. Agree the fare or ask for the meter.
- Late at night
- No rail; taxis are available but thin late at night: book your ride home before you go out.
See and do
01Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple
A very large south Indian temple in Fiji: colour, carving and quiet.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Small fee (check) · Time: 45 min · -17.8072, 177.4185
02Nadi municipal marketNadi Market
Tropical produce, spices and kava; the best hour is before 09:30.Tropical produce, spices and kava; the best hour is before 9:30 AM.
Hours: best 07:30–09:30 · Price: Free · Time: 45 minHours: best 7:30 AM–9:30 AM · Price: Free · Time: 45 min · -17.8053, 177.4165
03Nadi Main Street curry housesNadi
Fiji-Indian curry and roti at Main Street lunch tables.
Hours: best 11:30–14:00 · Price: FJ$8–18 · Time: 45 minHours: best 11:30 AM–2:00 PM · Price: FJ$8–18 · Time: 45 min · -17.8045, 177.4160
04Garden of the Sleeping Giant
An orchid garden and a shaded walk on the slopes.
Hours: best Morning · Price: About FJ$25 (check) · Time: 1.5 h · -17.7635, 177.4350
05Port Denarau marinaPort Denarau
Boat departure point for the islands, with cafés and a walk.
Hours: best Before your boat · Price: Free · Time: 1 h · -17.7745, 177.3800
06Wailoaloa BeachWailoaloa
A modest beach near the airport for a sunset walk.
Hours: best 16:30–18:00 · Price: Free · Time: 1 hHours: best 4:30 PM–6:00 PM · Price: Free · Time: 1 h · -17.7690, 177.4120
07Nadi handicraft marketNadi Handicraft Market
Carvings, sulus and shell jewellery in one place.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Free; spend FJ$10–60 · Time: 30–45 min · -17.8050, 177.4172
08Mamanuca island day trip
White sand, clear water and snorkelling; the classic Fiji day.
Hours: best May–Oct · Price: FJ$150–300 · Time: Full day
09Sabeto hot springs and mud pool
A half-day soak and mud treatment.
Hours: best Morning · Price: About FJ$40 (check) · Time: Half day
10Kava ceremony
A welcome ritual, done right with a host.
Hours: best Evening · Price: FJ$20–60 (check) · Time: 1 h
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mamanuca Islands | Catamaran or water taxi from Port Denarau, about 1–1.5 h | Full day or overnight |
| Garden of the Sleeping Giant | Taxi about 20 min | Half day |
| Sabeto hot springs and mud pool | Taxi about 30 min | Half day |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nadi Main Street curry houses | Curry and roti · Nadi Main Street | FJ$8–18 | Budget |
| Indian sweets and samosas | Samosas, sweets and tea · Nadi town | FJ$3–10 | Budget |
| Fijian kokoda and lovo lunch | Kokoda and lovo · Nadi and Denarau | FJ$20–45 | Mid-range |
| Wailoaloa beach café | Café lunch by the beach · Wailoaloa | FJ$12–30 | Mid-range |
| Martintar dinner strip | Grill, Indian and Chinese dinners · Martintar | FJ$20–45 | Mid-range |
| Port Denarau marina restaurants | Seafood and steak at the marina · Port Denarau | FJ$45–90 | Splurge |
Per person, one meal, 2026 estimate. Addresses change: check the day before.
Sleep
| Band | Price a night | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| budget | FJ$35–60 dorm · FJ$100–160 double | Martintar and Namaka | Hostels and small hotels |
| mid | FJ$220–450 | Martintar, Wailoaloa | 3–4 star hotels |
| splurge | FJ$600–1,500+ | Denarau Island | International resorts |
Per room per night, 2026 estimate; Christmas and July add 30–80%.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bulaboo-lah |
| Thank you | Vinakavee-nah-kah |
| Thank you very much | Vinaka vakalevuvee-nah-kah vah-kah-LAY-voo |
| Goodbye | MoceMOH-thay |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say 'Bula' with a smile; handshake is common; wait for a woman to offer hers in Indo-Fijian company.
- Villages: Remove hats and sunglasses, cover shoulders and knees, and bring a sevusevu (kava root) gift if you are visiting a chief.
- Kava ceremony: Clap once, say 'bula', drink in one go, then clap three times.
- Temples: Shoes off, cover shoulders and knees, ask before photographing worshippers.
- Heads: Do not touch someone's head; it is considered sacred.
- Sunday: A rest day for many: expect closures and quiet streets.
- Bargaining: Light at the handicraft market; polite and friendly.
- Photography: Ask before photographing people and villages.
Red lines
- Remove shoes at the temple and cover shoulders and knees.
- In villages, remove hats and sunglasses and follow the host's lead.
- Do not buy kava or handicrafts from unlicensed street sellers without checking the price.
Scams and watch-outs
- Street sellers offering 'free' kava ceremonies or island trips: book through your hotel or a licensed operator.
- Unlicensed taxis at the airport: use the official rank or your hotel's transfer.
- Unagreed taxi fares: ask for the meter or agree the price before you ride.
One and two days
1 day
A stopover or the day before a boat. Skip: The Garden of the Sleeping Giant: a separate morning.
- 07:307:30 AMMarket
- 09:009:00 AMTemple
- 11:3011:30 AMCurry lunch
- 13:301:30 PMHotel rest or pool
- 16:304:30 PMBeach or marina sunset
2 days
The usual Nadi stay. Skip: Island trips: they need their own day.
Day 1 — Town
- 07:307:30 AMMarket and handicraft market
- 09:309:30 AMTemple
- 12:0012:00 PMCurry lunch
Day 2 — Garden and marina
- 08:308:30 AMGarden of the Sleeping Giant
- 12:0012:00 PMLunch at Port Denarau
- 17:005:00 PMBeach sunset
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourism Fiji (official): www.fiji.travel/
- Airports Fiji (official): www.airportsfiji.com/
- Fiji Immigration Department (official): www.immigration.gov.fj/
- Wikivoyage — Nadi: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Nadi
- Wikivoyage — Fiji: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Fiji
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Nadi
Please take me to this hotel
Please take me to this hotel
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Nadi MarketNadi municipal market
- NadiNadi Main Street curry houses
- Port DenarauPort Denarau marina
- WailoaloaWailoaloa Beach
- Nadi Handicraft MarketNadi handicraft market
- Police917
- General emergency911
- Hotel front deskConfirm at check-in
Most embassies are in Suva. Write your own embassy's 24-hour line below.
Show the hotel name and a map pin; agree the fare or ask for the meter.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/nadi). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.